Heating apparatus



Oct. 16,

Av BARNSTEINER ET AL HEATING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 11, 1942 a mm a mem m ,6 w 0 Maw m 5 mw 6 n A M 7 ,twlmu saw a I fr m M 1 m WITNESSES:

Patented Oct. 16, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEATING APPARATUS Application August 11, 1942, Serial No. 454,390

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a supporting and spacing block adapted to support one wire or a plurality of parallel wires, or the like, and it has for an object to provide an improved device of the character set forth.

Most wiring for electric appliances and the like requires some method of preparing the ends of the wires so that good contact can be made when assembling to the appliance. This preparation is usually in the form of separate terminal lugs fixed to the wire ends or a loop in the wire end. This makes it impractical to slip an insulator or spacer block over the finished end of the wires, since it is not feasible to make the holes in the insulator block large enough to receive such lugs or loops. made suiiiciently large to receive the lugs or loops, the block would have to be made unduly large and, in many cases, larger than the space limitations that a particular electric appliance might permit.

To overcome this difficulty of placing an insulator block on a wire or wires which have had their ends finished in the manner mentioned above or on wires which have already been strung, we have devised a block which is inexpensive to manufacture and simple to apply to the wires and which securely supports the wires and spaces them from one another.

It is, accordingly, a further object of the invention to provide an improved insulator and spacer block which may be readily applied to a wire or wires intermediate their ends without the necessity of threading the wires through the block.

These and other objects are effected by the invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the first step in assembling the present insulator block to a plurality of wires.

Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview showing the second and final step in securing the present insulator block to a plurality of wires;

Figs. and 4 are top and side elevational views, respectively, of the insulator block shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line VV of Fig. i; and

6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating a slightly modified form of the invention.

The block shown in the drawing is particularly adapted for use with electrical appliances,

Further, if such holes were such as cooking ranges, water heaters and the like, but it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that it has general application and may be used for supporting wires, ropes, pipes, or the like. While the block shown is adapted to support and space as many as three parallel wires, it will be understood that provision may be made for accommodating any desired number of wires.

The block, generally indicated [3, is preferably made of electrical insulating, refractory material. This block, which is preferably generally rectangular in section, is provided with a plurality of sets of intersecting grooves, each set of which is adapted to receive a wire 9. Since the arrangement of each set of grooves is identical, a description of one will sufiice to furnish a clear understanding of the invention.

For convenience of reference, the surface of the block i0, which is uppermost in Fig. 2, is identified as top surface H and the adjacent side wall of the block visible in this figure as lateral surface l2. The lateral surface [2 is pro vided with a groove is therein which extends substantially midway into the block. A side wall M of this groove is continuous across the block and extends at an oblique angle from the lateral surface I 2 to the bottom of the groove. As will appear later, the inclined side wall M of the groove serves to guide the wire 9 or the like into the bottom of the groove.

The wall It of the groove 53, opposite the inclined wall I4, is substantially normal to the lateral surface l2. The wall I6 is interrupted by means of a tongue or projection I! which extends from this wall toward the inclined wall it. The surface of this tongue, identified as i6, is also disposed at an oblique angle to the lateral surface l2 and is spaced from and substantially parallel to the inclined side wall I4 providing an entrance slot for guiding the wire into the bottom of the groove, as shown in Fig. l.

The top surface ll of the block I 0 is provided with a groove IS disposed in the same general plane as the groove l3 and which is substantially co-extensive in width with the bottom I5 of the groove [3. The groove I8 is deeper than the height of the tongue IT, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and intersects the groove I3.

The manner of applying the block to the wires to be supported and insulated from each other will be clear from Figs. 1 and 2.

The block is first placed over or slipped under the wire or wires, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the wires overlie the entrance slots between the tongues I! and the inclined walls I of the grooves l3. The wires are next moved down the entrance slots to the bottom of the grooves l3. Then, by rotating the block about its longitudinal axis, in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1, into the position shown in Fig. 2, the wires enter the bottoms of the second groove l9 and underlie the under face 2! of the tongue. It will be seen that the wires are now securely held in the second groove l9 by the tongue I].

Since the block can be removed from the wires only by rotating about its longitudinal axis, a single fastening means retains the block to the support on which the wires are strung. This fastening means may, for example, comprise a screw (not shown) inserted in an opening 22.

In order to prevent the tongue from being accidentally damaged, the surfaces of the tongue I! which normally lie in the plane of the top and lateral surfaces I l and I2, respectively, of the block are beveled. Thus, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the surfaces 23 and 24 of the tongues are inclined or beveled inwardly so that the tongue lies entirely within the bounding surfaces of the block and the edges thereof will not readily be knocked off or damaged. 7

As shown in Fig. 6, the corner of the tongue I1 may be beveled as indicated at 25 to provide wide-mouth entrance to aid in guiding the wire or the like into the entrance slot.

While the invention has been shown in several forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A member adapted to be applied to wires or the like comprising a block having a groove therein, said groove having opposed side Walls, one of said side walls being disposed at an angle to the opposite side wall and inclined away from said opposite side wall from the bottom of said groove toward the mouth of said groove, said block having a second groove therein disposed at substantially right angles to said first-mationed groove and intersecting said first-mentioned groove, and a tongue member projecting from said opposite side wall of said first-mentioned groove toward said inclined side wall and stopping short thereof, said tongue having a surface substantially parallel to said inclined side wall and cooperating therewith to provide an entrance passage to the bottom of said first-mentioned groove whereby a wire or the like may be inserted therein, said tongue being substantially aligned with said second groove and of less height than the depth of said second groove and having a wall adapted to cooperate with the bot tom of said second groove for maintaining said wire or the like within said second groove on rotation of said block about an axis normal to the general plane of said grooves.

2. A member adapted to be applied to wires or the like comprising a block generally rectangular in cross-section, said block having a groove therein extending completely across one face of said block, said groove being wider at the top than at the bottom and having an inclined side wall, said block having a second groove in the same general plane as said first-mentioned groove, said second groove being formed in a face of said block contiguous with said first-mentioned face, said second groove extending from the face of said block opposite said first-mentioned face to the bottom of said first-mentioned groove, and a tongue member projecting from a side wall of said first-mentioned groove into spaced relation with said inclined wall to provide an entrance passage to the bottom of said first-mentioned groove, said tongue member being substantially aligned with said second-mentioned groove and of less height than the depth of said secondmentioned groove whereby a wire placed in the bottom of said first-mentioned groove may be held in the bottom of said second-"mentioned groove by said tongue on rotation of said block about an axis normal to the general plane of said grooves.

3. A member adapted to be applied to wires or the like comprising a block generally rectangular in cross section, said block having a groove therein extending completely across one face of said block, said groove being Wider at the top than at the bottom and having an inclined side wall, said block having a second groove in the same general plane as said first-mentioned groove, said second groove being formed in the face of said block contiguous with said first-mentioned face and extending from the face of said block opposite said first-mentioned face to the bottom of said first-mentioned groove, and a tongue member projecting from a wall of said first-mentioned groove into spaced relation with said inclined Wall of said first-mentioned groove, one surface of said tongue being inclined and substantially parallel with said inclined side wall to provide an entrance passage to the bottom of said first-mentioned groove, said tongue member being substantially aligned with said secondmentioned groove and of less height than the depth of said second-mentioned groove whereby a wire placed in the bottom of said first-mew tioned groove may be held in the bottom of said second-mentioned groove by said tongue on rota tion of said block about an axis normal to the general plane of said grooves, the surfaces of said tongue being disposed within the bounding surfaces of said block.

4. A device adapted to be applied to a Wire or the like comprising a member having a slot therein extending thereacross with the opposite ends of said slot open, a first portion of said slot, from one open end thereof, extending in the general direction of a wire adapted to be received therein; a second portion of said slot extending in a direction other than said general direction; said member having a recess in the surface thereof, said recess communicating With said first and second portions of said slot and defining with said second portion a tongue member aligned with said first portion of said slot, said tongue member cooperating with the bottom of said first portion of said slot for retaining a Wire or the like therein, and means including said recess and second portion of said slot for guiding the wire into the bottom of said first portion of said slot and beneath said tongue.

5. A device adapted to support a plurality of substantially parallel strung wires or the like comprising a member having a plurality of spaced slots therein extending across a face thereof with the opposite ends of said slots open, a first portion of each of said slots, from one open end thereof, extending in the general direction of a Wire adapted to be received therein;

a second portion of each of said slots extending in a direction other than said general direction; said member having a plurality of recesses in the surface thereof, each recess communicating with the first and second portions of a respective slot and together with the second portion of its respective slot defining a tongue member aligned with the first portion of the slot, each tongue member cooperating with the bottom of the first portion of its respective slot for retaining a wire or the like therein, and means including said recesses and the second portions of their respective slots for guiding the wires into the bottom of said first portions of said slots and beneath the tongue members theerof.

6'. A block for retaining a wire or the like, said block having a slot for said wire, said wire being movable into a bottom portion of said slot, the entrance of said slot being offset with respect to said bottom portion 50 that a portion of said block overhangs said bottom portion, the block being rotatable through an are about an axis extending through said bottom portion at an angle thereto and substantially parallel to the surface or surfaces of the block in which the entrance of said slot is located, said block having a pair of recesses communicating with said slot, the recesses being disposed-diametrically opposite each other with respect to said axis and disposed substantially in the plane, normal to said axis, of said bottom portion, whereby said 'Wire may be inserted in said slot and the block rotated about said axis whereupon said overhanging portion overlies the wire and retains it in one of the recesses of said pair.

7. A block for retaining a plurality of strung wires or the like in spaced and generally parallel relation, said block having a slot for each wire, each wire being movable into a bottom portion of one of said slots, said slots being arranged in substantially parallel relation in the same side of said block, the entrance of each slot being oiTset with respect to said bottom portion so that a portion of said block overhangs said bottom portion, the block being rotatable through an are about an axis extending through said bottom portions of the several slots, said block having a pair of recesses individual to and communicating with each slot, the recesses of each pair being disposed diametrically opposite each other with respect to said axis and disposed substantially in the plane, normal to said axis, of the bottom portion of their related slot, Whereby said wires may be inserted in said slots and the block rotated about said axis whereupon said overhanging portion of each slot overlies the wire and retain it in one of the recesses of each pair.

ALF'ONS BARNSTEINER. ERNEST E. SUTHERLAND. 

